Door County is quickly becoming a popular vacation spot for families to visit in Wisconsin. While the Wisconsin Dells, another popular family-friendly destination, is known for its wild water parks and exciting nightlife, Door County’s approach to family vacations is slower, more rustic, and traditional. There are plenty of activities and adventures for both children and adults to enjoy, so you can make fun memories that will last a lifetime!
When it comes to planning the perfect family trip up to Door County, the itinerary can get overwhelming pretty quickly! Whether you’ve been visiting the peninsula for years and want to share the culture with your children or you and your family are newcomers, this is the complete list of the best family-friendly spots in Door County. Plan for a weekend of fun with these must-visits!
What To Do
On your way up the peninsula, one of the first places that you’ll see is the Salty Seagull Miniature Golf Course. This is Sturgeon Bay’s newest mini golf course, and it’s the perfect way to start your Door County getaway with your kids! Entertaining, challenging, and ADA accessible, this 18-hole mini golf course is fun for the whole family. This is an affordable outing at just $9 for older children and adults, and children under 5 are only $3! Snack on candy, chips, and ice cream bars as you play, and you can get juice or soda for the kids and a craft beer for yourself.
There are more fun family-friendly activities further up north. A popular destination for kids young and old is The Farm, which is just north of Sturgeon Bay. Since 1965, The Farm has been a “living museum of rural America,” where kids can bottle-feed goats, lambs, and piglets. You can even milk a goat and pet all of the different farm animals! Your kids will love experiencing the rustic charm of farm life for themselves, feeding the animals (at just 25 cents a bag!), watching chicks hatch, or holding barn kittens. This is a must-stop for families with young children—you’re guaranteed to have an amazing time making memories!
Like The Farm, Lautenbach’s Orchard Country is a destination that’s fun for both children and adults. When you visit during the summer, walk through the cherry orchards and pick your own cherries! It’s only $5 for a mini pail or $15 for a 9lb pail, and you can pick both sweet and tart cherries depending on the time of year. After cherry picking, the kids can play on the playground or practice their pit spitting at the Cherry Pit Spit, while you can relax with a wine tasting flight featuring the sweet and fruity flavors of Door County. Sit outside on the patio or inside at the bar, and afterwards you can walk through the market to find the perfect souvenir or cherry treat to share with your young ones.
One of the most appealing aspects of Door County is its natural beauty, and you’ll find some of the most magnificent views and kid-friendly trails at Peninsula State Park. We recommend renting a bike and cruising down the Sunset Trail with your family, which is near the Fish Creek entrance to the park. Although it’s nearly 10 miles long, the trail is fine gravel and relatively flat, though there are a few hills that you’ll want to watch your kids carefully on. This beautiful trail is surrounded by tall cedar and maple trees that turn stunning colors in the fall, and it’s a fun and adventurous ride in the summer! Stop at Nicolet Beach in the park for a picnic or quick dip in the lake to cool off, or visit Eagle Bluff Lighthouse for the perfect family photos.
Also located within Peninsula State Park is Northern Sky Theater, an outdoor theater that puts on family-friendly musicals throughout the summer. These musicals range from heartwarming to hilarious, and the theater surrounded by luscious trees and bright stars in the night sky is absolutely spellbinding. Your kids will be captivated by the show onstage that will also introduce them to the rich culture of modern theater. Don’t forget to pack your bug spray and best hiking shoes!
If you want to show your kids something truly old-school, then there’s no better place than Skyway Drive-In Theatre. One of the last drive-ins in Wisconsin, not much has changed since the movie theater opened its doors in 1950, well-loved and preserved by the family behind the operation. Always showing a double-feature, tickets for kids 12 and older are only $10 each, 5 – 11 are $6, and children 4 and younger are free! That’s the best price you’ll pay compared to any other movie theater! The first movie is often PG and the second can be PG, PG-13, or even R, so make sure to check out what movies are showing. Stay for one or both, and visit the old-timey snack bar where you can order foot-long hot dogs, soft pretzels, fresh popcorn topped with real butter, and a variety of ice cream treats.
While Door County is known for its beautiful nature and outdoor adventures, the weather doesn’t always cooperate. But even if there’s a rainy day, there’s still so much to do! Hands On Art Studio is a popular destination for adults and kids alike, since it’s a place where you can indulge in your creativity and create whatever art project you like. No reservations are necessary, and you can pick your project from ceramics to canvas painting to even fused glass! This is the perfect spot to spend a rainy day with your kids, and you get to take home a keepsake that’s all your own!
Where To Eat
Between fun adventures, it’s important to make time to refuel. There are several restaurants in Door County that are more than accommodating to kids, even to the pickiest eaters! Check out these places for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert (perhaps the most important meal of the day) that both kids and parents will enjoy.
In Sturgeon Bay, Scaturo’s is known for its delicious breakfast and fresh bakery. Stop by for breakfast or brunch, which is served all day! Enjoy traditional breakfast dishes like biscuits & gravy, breakfast sandwiches, omelets, or skillets. Split a plate of Door County Stuffed Turtle French Toast with your kids, which features sweet bread, cherries, caramel, chocolate sauce, and pecans! Dessert doesn’t have to wait until after dinner—as you walk to the front to pay your bill, you’ll pass by an assortment of fresh baked goods such as cinnamon rolls, cookies, cupcakes, doughnuts, brownies, and more! Pick up a treat or two to snack on throughout the day.
For lunch, by far the most popular place for kids is PC Junction. While the food itself is simple and delicious, the novelty comes from its delivery on a train! When you’re seated at the counter, watch your kids’ faces light up when they hear the train bell and see the locomotive chugging down the table with their meal. Enjoy your meal inside or outside, where your kids can play on the playset or pedal around in go-karts. It’s fun for the whole family!
Another popular place to eat for both kids and adults is Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant. Known as the “restaurant with goats on the roof,” you and your kids will have the opportunity to see goats grazing on the green, grassy roof of the restaurant! Al Johnson’s is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, though breakfast tends to be pretty busy in the mornings, with waits that can be over an hour long! We recommend stopping by for dinner since you can hang out at the Stabbur Beer Garden while you wait for a table, sipping on Swedish specialty drinks as your kids play with a plethora of yard games. The menu at Al Johnson’s offers a wide variety of Swedish dishes, plus a few traditional American plates on the children’s menu for any picky eaters. After dinner, check out the Butik for Scandinavian gifts, clothing, and specialty food items!
Of course, a meal isn’t complete without dessert, and some of the best ice cream in the county can be found at Not Licked Yet Frozen Custard. Located right near Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek, enjoy specialty ice cream treats alongside the shoreline or next to the giant playground! You can walk along the lighted path near the pond, and your kids will get a kick out of feeding the ducks (if they’re not too busy enjoying their ice cream!). Check out Not Licked Yet’s Facebook page for their rotating flavor of the day, and sample their assortment of treats such as waffle cones, sundaes, root beer floats, and fruity ice pops!
Where To Stay
When it comes to finding a place that you and your family can call home in Door County, there’s no better place than the Landmark Resort, the largest family-friendly resort on the peninsula. Your kids will have a blast splashing around in the indoor pool or one of the two heated outdoor pools overlooking the bluff with stunning views of the water below, while you can relax in the sauna or hot tub located in each lodging building. Each suite is equipped with one, two, or three bedrooms, one or two bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen stocked with cooking supplies, so you can make yourself right at home! Choose from a private wooded view or a breathtaking water view, where you can watch the sun set on the horizon as your kids rest in their cozy beds.
The Landmark Resort is more than just a place to rest your head at night. During the day, you can walk the hiking trails that showcase some of Door County’s stunning nature, play a game of tennis, pickleball, or shuffleboard with your family, or work out in the fitness center. Located next to the resort is the on-site restaurant Carrington, which boasts some of the best views of the water from the outdoor terrace. Offering both a kid’s menu and an upscale casual menu for parents, indulge in a cocktail or two with a view while your family enjoys an exquisite meal.
Door County is one of the best family vacation destinations in Wisconsin, a place where you can make new traditions and memories that will last a lifetime. Start planning your perfect family vacation with all of these amazing family-friendly activities today!